The Bonds Between Us • E.Cullen x Fem oc x B. Swan

Chapter 66

Bella had stayed with Cori that night, the girl practically wrapped around the brunette.

When it was time for school, Jonas has never felt so small as he held his sobbing daughter as Bella fleeing from her girlfriend's room, knowing she was going to be late.

As she calmed down, and her cries turned to whimpers, Jonas separated himself from her. "I'm going to make some breakfast." He said leaving a kiss on her forehead.

Making the batter for pancakes, there was a nock at the door. Jonas's brow rose, but answered it anyway.

Standing on the other side was a shirt clad Sam Uley who was scratching his neck worriedly until Jonas opened the door. "Samual." Jonas said as he looked the young man over. "Mr. Austin. I heard that Cori had a rough day yesterday. I uh- I came to see if I could help." He said as he kept contact with the oldest Austin, a sweat breaking out on his brow.

Sam knew Jonas didn't trust him. His father had doubled crossed him and he didn't want the same thing to happen to Cori. What he didn't know was that the wolf had already started in his father's footsteps, but was trying to correct it.

Jonas noticed how nervous Sam seemed to be, and on a whim decided the two had unfinished business. He knew his daughter had her mother's temper, and sometimes that got between people. If there was a wedge between the two, something must have happened as the two grew up practically attached at the hip, Sam practically being her older brother until his father had stabbed Jonas in the back by sleeping with his wife.

That was the breaking point for Jonas, and it caused a riff between the Austin's and the Uley's.

"She's in her room." Jonas told the wolf and Sam nodded, stepping into the house as Jonas stepped to the side.

Finding her room, Sam knocked. "Breakfast ready?" Cori asked lightly. "Not your dad, sorry." Sam said as he cracked the door open. "What are you doing here?" Cori asked. "Harry Clearwater overheard your's and Leah's conversation last night. He told me." "Tell Harry to mind his business." Cori smiled gently before it disappeared.

"What's going on?" Sam asked. "I thought you knew?" "Remember Leah doesn't know anything. I know that you had some sort of break down at school. Why?" Sam asked outright, the softness still there, but Sam didn't do emotions.

Cori sighed not used to the brazen outwardness that came with Sam Uley, but it was also a breath of fresh air. She knew Sam cared about her deep down, even if they fought. She was so used to Bella and her father coddling her.

"It was my first day back yesterday." Cori told him. "And?" Sam asked, a brow raised though he had the faintest idea what had happened. "And everything hit me like a fucking train. I saw him, felt him, heard him. It was to- too much. I-I couldn't." Cori said, getting choked up, tears clouding her vision once again.

"Cori he was a waste of fucking space, why let him take space in your head any more?" Sam asked. "It's not my head." She whispered as she looked at him, and in that moment, he saw how truly broken the girl in front of him was.

The tears masked it, but he could see the light that was once behind her blue grey eyes was dim, and it seemed her soul was cracked, not healing no matter people's efforts.

"I hate him. I hate him so much. I would love nothing more than to set him on fire, and rid the world of Edward Cullen, but I can't. There is still a part of me that cares for him. I refuse to say I still love him, because I don't." Cori told the wolf and he nodded, letting the girl vent. "I'm sure that's how Leah feels about me." He told her. "Maybe it's just a guy thing. Maybe you all make shitty decisions." She told him, a small smile on her face.

Getting up, Sam held out his hand. "What?" "We're going out."  "Where?" She asked as she eyes the outstretched hand with wearily. "Our spot. You remember the old tree house?" Sam asked and Cori scoffed. "You think I would forget about it." She asked.

Throwing on a heavier jumper and a pair of sweats over her shorts, she slid her sockless feet into her converse.

"Where are you going?" Jonas asked as the popping of bacon was heard in the background. "Sam's gonna take me to the treehouse. Reconnect me to nature and all that shit." Cori said and Sam turned his head to hide his laugh.

"Breakfast will be done soon." Jonas argued lightly. "I'll be back shortly dad. We aren't spending all day out there. Plus, I know Sam could wolf down some food." Cori said with a knowing grin, Sam rolling his eyes as the jab, and Jonas being none the wiser.

"I didn't say I was making any for him." Jonas huffed. "So that's why you have out the big mixing bowl for batter and not the small one?" "Go find your call to the wild or whatever." Jonas said waving her and Sam off.

As they made their way into the forest, Sam turned towards the red head. "You know, I wasn't lying when I said I found something in our history." "I really don't want to talk about that right now." Cori stated, keeping her eyes to the ground, making sure she didn't go tumbling down, making a fool of herself.

"Fine. Then do something for me." Sam said and that made Cori stop. "What?" "I want you to release all that anger. I don't want you to end up like Leah, or hell, even like me. I know you're still angry at me, and I get it, but just do this one thing for me." He told her.

Looking back at the ground, she kicked a rock that went tumbling into some grass. "How? How do I do that?" Cori asked, not looking up at the wolf. "You train. You put all that heartache, all that anger, hatred, and doubt into your moves, into your power, Cori. It'll make you stronger. What do they say? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?"

A teasing grin formed on Cordelia's face. "Did you just quote Kelly Clarkson?" "No, I don't know who that is. It's actually from a German philosopher, Fredrick-" "I was kidding Sam." Cori said elbowing him lightly, "What did you have in mind?"

Fishing some papers out of his pocket, he read over some highlighted points, then looked back up to her. "You can disappear right?" He asked. "Yeah, but I don't know how." "Then that's what we work on first."

A/N: How do you guys like Sam and Cori's relationship? Sams really bad at showing Cori how much she means to him, she knows, but she's been so hurt she's starting to feel like all her relationships with everyone were fake, and no one truly cares about her. Sam's trying to heal that, with the only way he knows how. Acts of service.

Just to be clear, Sam and Cori only have a big brother/ little sister relationship. I feel like at some points, people have been getting that mixed up.